Flood-destroyed culvert bridge to be rebuilt by late March

ELKVIEW, W.Va. — The Crossings Plaza bridge near Elkview, destroyed in the June flood, won’t be rebuilt until late March, according to the Kanawha County Commission.

The Commission held its first meeting of the new year Tuesday night where they gave an update on the bridge situation.

Last month, a federal judge put the property into receivership in order to get the bridge rebuilt. The judge also ordered U.S. Bank, the property mortgage holder, to pay for the bridge. The bank holds a $13 million note on the property.

Plaza owner Bill Abruzzino of Tara Retail Group and U.S. Bank could not reach a settlement on who should pay for the bridge, so the judge ordered the bank to handle the costs.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said construction could cost more than $1 million.

“We believe if things stay on track it should be completed in March. It’s weather determinant. They’re doing the fabricating. They’re going to announce the bid on the contractor, I think, sometime this week,” Carper said.

The plaza hasn’t been opened since the bridge collapsed. Several hundred people lost their jobs.

Those tenants won’t move back in until April or May, Carper said.

“It’s going to take them a month to two months to clean those places up, restock them, they’ll have to hire new people. It’s not that easy. They’re going to open a new mall again which is great for the community,” he said.

The Crossings Plaza is located just off of Interstate 79 about 12 miles north of Charleston.